Indian Food Recipes: Mangalorean chicken ghee roast

 By Nandini Bhushan*

The cuisine from the five southern states of India — Tamil Naidu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is grouped together as the South Indian cuisine. This cuisine offers a wide range of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian delicacies that is sure to delight one’s taste bud. Let us explore the mouth-watering dishes from the Southern Indian states to experience the essence of each of these states.

Also try: Indian Food Recipes: Rasam

Mangalorean cuisine has a great influence from the neighbouring state of Kerala with strong use of pepper, coconut and curry leaves. Tuluva Mangalorean chicken ghee roast recipe traces its origin to a town named Kundapur, close to Udupi. It is a classy dish made from the homemade ground masala and dollops of ghee. Enjoy it for a Weekend/Sunday meal along with neer dosa or plain steamed rice.

Serving for 4 to 5 people.

Ingredients

Chicken: 1 kg
Curd: ½ cup
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp
Jaggery: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Ghee: 6 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Salt as required

For dry roast

Red chilli dry: 6
Kashmiri whole red chilli: 4
Peppercorn: 8
Clove: 4
Coriander seed: 2 tsp
Cumin seed: ½ tsp
Fenugreek seed: ¼ tsp
Garlic: 8 pod

Step 1

Marinate the chicken with curd, lemon juice, turmeric powder and a tsp of salt for a couple of hours or overnight.

Step 2

In a pan dry roast red chilli on a medium flame for a couple of minutes. Once done remove them to cool down.

Step 3

In the same pan heat a tsp of ghee. Add Fenugreek seed, cumin seed, coriander seed, peppercorn and clove and saute for a couple of minutes. Once done remove and cool.

Step 4

Grind the roasted masala, red chilli, garlic and tamarind into a smooth paste.

Step 5

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan. Add the marinated chicken pieces and saute. Cook for about fifteen to twenty minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 6

Once tender, take out the chicken pieces into a bowl. Pour the remaining liquid into a separate bowl.

Step 7

In the same pan add the remaining ghee. Once hot, add the ground masala paste and saute on a medium flame for five to eight minutes until the oil separates.

Step 8

Add the chicken pieces and the liquid masala and stir to combine them together. To this add the jaggery and salt and stir. Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is done and gets a thick coating of the masala. The dish needs to be semi-dry.

Step 9

Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with neer dosa or plain steamed rice.